Who We Are

We are a congregation of baptized believers serving the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Northeast quadrant of the city and beyond,
even to international locations around the world. We hold memberships in the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC)
and the Baptist Minister's Conference of DC and Vicinity. We invite you to join us in worship on Sunday morning.

Our Mission

Our mission is to develop servants whose hearts are like Jesus and who share the gospel with
others.

This mission has three primary emphases:

1) We serve to preserve the family. The family is the first and most important institution that God has created, having
established marriage between a man and a woman (Gen. 2:18-25; Mt. 19:4-5; Eph. 5:31-32). We are devoted to helping
married and engaged couples understand God’s divine plan for marriage and to learn how to work through marital challenges
from a biblical perspective. We purpose to encourage singles to maximize the fulfillment of their lives by giving unique
service to the kingdom (1 Cor. 7:32-35), and especially to aid single parents to raise godly children (Eph. 6:1-4;
Tit. 2:3-5).

2) We serve to promote the Word of God. It is our intention to preach and teach the whole counsel of God from the
holy Bible, His inspired word (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). We are committed to helping believers gain a
stronger understanding of the entirety of the scriptures and to apply them to their lives. We also purpose to introduce
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in the scriptures, to the unsaved (2 Cor. 5:11-14).

3) We serve to provide a place of worship. We strive to create an environment where believers can grow in the grace
and knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, so that they will engage in worship that honors God (Psa. 29:1-2; 1 Pet.
2:9-10; 2 Pet. 3:18). We are committed to supporting both home and foreign missions works that also hold to sound doctrine
as established by the Scriptures (2 Cor. 9:9-14; 3 Jn. 4-8).

Ministries

Below is an alphabetical listing of opportunities to serve others through New Canaan Baptist Church. More descriptions are presented to members during the New Member's Orientation sessions, and at the New Member's Reception sponsored by our Keep In Touch Ministry.

Authentic Teens

Children's Ministry

Commitment to Community

Christian Education

Couples Enrichment

Courtesy Attendants

Creative Ministry

Dance

Educational Ministry

Facilities

Floral Ministry

Homeless Ministry

Hospitality

Joyful Praise Choir

Junior Youth Ministry

Keep In Touch

Kitchen Ministry

Mass Choir

Media Ministry

Men’s 33

Men's Chorus

Men's Discipleship

Men's Ministry

Missionaries

New Canaanettes Children’s Choir

Nurses Ministry

Senior Ministry

SHARE Ministry

Sunday School

Ushers

Vacation Bible School

Voices Choir

Women's Discipleship

Young Adult Ministry

History

The History of New Canaan Baptist Church

1945 – Present

In
1943, the Reverend Alex W. Bussey moved to Washington, D.C. from Edgefield, South Carolina, where he served as the
former Pastor of the China Grove and Cedar Grove Baptist Churches.
On March 14, 1945, Rev. Bussey established the New Canaan Baptist Church Mission that met at the home of Brother Tandy
and Sister Grace Gilchrist, 517 2nd Street, N.W. for their first meeting. Later a meeting was held at the home of Charlie,
Helen, Walter, Jessie and Andrew Cain, 1722 Montello Avenue, N.E. During this meeting the first officers were elected.
The members held their first service at new site, 4th and L Streets, N.W, on Sunday, April 1, 1945.

On May 18, 1945, the New Canaan Baptist Church was officially established with an enrollment of 50 members with representatives
from five Baptist churches participating in the ceremonies. Many auxiliaries were established during Rev. Bussey’s
ministry. God called Rev. Bussey to eternal rest on January 18, 1953. From 1954 through the summer of 1989, New Canaan
was served by four more shepherds. On August 29, 1989, Reverend Gregory M. Sims was called as pastor-elect, following
Pastor Terry D. Streeter. He was installed as Pastor on December 16, 1989. In June 1990, Pastor Sims resigned from
his job to become New Canaan's first full-time pastor.

The focus of Pastor Sims' ministry has been on strengthening the family. He stresses building men who will in turn
build their families and ultimately build the Church. The Lord has led Pastor Sims to establish multiple ministries
that have served to strengthen the spiritual growth of the congregation.

Through the Lord’s grace, on June 3, 2000, Pastor Sims led the congregation in completing the construction of a 22,000
sq. ft. facility that includes Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, Chapel, Kitchen, Mommy room and seven Class rooms. In October
of 2004, the Lord enabled the congregation to complete a total renovation of an 8,000 sq. ft. building which serves
as our Annex.

In 2005, the Lord allowed our Church to provide funds for the construction of a church/school in the Philippines.
New Canaan was also blessed to participate in seeding resources to assist with the construction of a church in East
Cape, South Africa. We also provided a sonogram machine and printer for a hospital in Nigeria.

We continue to depend upon the Lord for wisdom and guidance, in order to maintain a spirit of excellence in ministry.
We also endeavor to develop a heart like Jesus, so that we can minister to others.